Homeless man who beat, drowned friend in Susquehanna River loses appeal of life prison sentence

A homeless Lancaster County man who was convicted of beating, choking and drowning a friend in the Susquehanna River has lost a bid to overturn his life prison sentence.

Tyrick Donte Walker, 32, had argued that he killed Mark McLaughlin unintentionally and in self-defense as the two fought at a tent camp for the homeless along the bank of the river in West Hempfield Township in April 2011.

A county jury didn't buy that argument and convicted Walker of first-degree murder last year.

In a ruling this week, the state Superior Court also rejected Walker's argument, found that the jury had grounds to convict him and upheld his life sentence.

In the state court's opinion, President Judge John T. Bender cited testimony by Reshanna Sexton, McLaughlin's girlfriend, who testified at trial that she saw the fatal fight.

Sexton said she saw Walker attack the 41-year-old McLaughlin after an argument, pummel and choke him into unconsciousness and then drag him into the river and hold him down by pressing his right foot into McLaughlin's back.

During the fight, Walker told McLaughlin, "I'm sick of hearing your mouth," Sexton said. She said that as she screamed for Walker to stop the assault, Walker told her, "He wants me to kill him."

Walker testified during his trial that McLaughlin had threatened him, although he admitted starting the fight. He told the jurors that he was trying to render McLaughlin unconscious because he feared McLaughlin would try to kill him if he let him go.

But Bender found that Walker's actions showed he had a specific intent to kill, which is mandatory for a first-degree murder conviction.

The state judge also rejected Walker's argument on appeal that county Judge Howard Knisely, who presided at the trial, was wrong to deny Walker's request to instruct the jury on the Castle Doctrine, Pennsylvania's self-defense law.

That law allows people to use deadly force to protect themselves in their homes, vehicles and in some instances against threats in public places.

Walker's claim that the Castle Doctrine should have applied in his case is baseless, Bender found, especially since Walker was the aggressor and the altercation didn't even occur inside Walker's tent in the homeless camp.

To a degree, it is Walker's own fault that he is serving a life sentence. He initially pleaded guilty to third-degree murder for McLaughlin's slaying, and would have faced a lesser prison term had he not withdrawn that plea and opted for a trial.

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